Underestimation of cognitive impairments by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in an acute stroke unit population

Abstract Background and purpose The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is an increasingly popular clinical screening tool for detecting cognitive impairment in stroke, but few studies have directly compared performance on the MoCA with neuropsychological assessment. Our retrospective study examined the extent to which intact performance on the MoCA reflects intact cognition as determined by neuropsychological assessment. Methods In this retrospective study, cognitive profiles for 136 acute stroke patients admitted to the Acute Stroke Unit who had available MoCA and neuropsychological assessment data were examined. Results 22% of our patients were deemed cognitively intact on the MoCA. Of …